The UEFA Champions League Final 2020 (C1) will take place on May 28th 2022. It was scheduled in Saint Petersburg (Russia), but it will now take place in Stade de France in Saint-Denis (France).
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How to get to Saint Petersburg for the UEFA Champions League Final 2022?
The easiest way to go to Saint Petersburg is by plane. The international airport is located in the South of St Petersburg. There are flights from all Europe.
You can also come by Train if you come from Tallin or Helsinki. Also from Helsinki, you can come by boat.
In every cases, you will probably need a visa to enter Russia. A visa is required for citizens from UE countries. The easiest way is to make an e-visa online but, due to Covid-19, e-visas are suspended. The only way is to ask for a regular visa. For a regular visa, you have to get a voucher for Russia, and travel insurance, and go to a Russian Visa Center.
For FIFA World Cup 2018, and UEFA Euro 2020, no visas was required if had a Fan ID. A Fan ID was obtained only if you have a ticket for a match. We don’t know if the Fan ID system will be available for the UEFA Champions League Final 2022.
How to go from Pulkovo Airport to the City Center
By public transports, you have to make a transfer to go from the Pulkovo Airport to the City Center. There are no bus, metro or train line that goes from the airport to the city center.
- Take the bus 39 or 39E (Express) from Pulkovo Airport to Moskovskaya Metro Station. When you exits the airport, it is in front of you. You cannot take a wrong bus: 39 / 39E is the only bus line here.
- Take the Metro Line (N°2 – Blue Line) from Moskovskaya to somewhere in the center: Sennaya Ploshad, Nevsky Prospekt, or even Petrogradskaya. You may need another transfer to go closer to your accomodation
It is quite easy to take the bus and the metro but we don’t recommend it if it’s the first time you go to Saint Petersburg:
- You have to pay an additional fee for your luggage, the bus controller will explain it to you, in Russian. Don’t expect any English. You may be required to pay it with cash, but usually they have a credit card machine
- At the metro entrance, the security will check your luggage
- You will need to buy a metro token
For theses reasons, we always recommend for the first time in a foreign country to take a pre-ordered taxi. In Saint Petersburg, we usually use Kiwitaxi for about 25€. The taxi will wait for you with a sign at the arrivals, and you will not need to do anything else. Once in your hotel, you can start discover the city.
How to go to the Stadium in Saint Petersburg
The stadium is brand new. It was built for the FIFA World Cup 2018, and hosted semi-final between France and Belgium. It is also the home of FC Zenith Saint Petersburg football team, one of the greatest football team in Russia. The stadium is known as “Gazprom Arena” and also as “Krestovsky Stadium”.
The stadium is located on an Island: Krestovsky Island. It is far away from habitations, so you have to go there by Metro, Taxi. You could also take the bus, but the metro is usually far more convenient.
Metro
There a 2 stations:
- Zenit (3 – Green Line)
- Krestovksy Ostrov (5 – Purple Line)
Zenit. The station is located really close to the stadium: about 500m (5mn). This metro line also goes to the city center of Saint Petersburg, so it is a good idea to get an accommodation on this line.
Krestovsky Ostrov. You have to walk through the park to reach the station: about 2km (25mn). It may seems far away, but keep in mind that in May, we are really close to the White Nights. So, it is quite nice to take a walk outside. This metro line goes through Petrogradskiy Island, and also the city center. It is also a good idea to get an accommodation on this line.
Taxi
The easiest way to call a taxi is by using one of the Uber-like app. The main one is “Yandex Go”. You can’t use Uber in Russia: although there is an app and cars branded by Uber, the app in Russia is special and you have to download the Russian version, on the Russian App Store. So you can’t really download Uber without mixing all of your settings.
The other way is by ordering your taxi in advance. We usually use Kiwitaxi for this. You choose your date, time, location, destination, you pay online and a taxi will wait for you at the said time. You can also use this service at the airport, the taxi will wait for you with a sign at the arrivals.
Where to get an accommodation in Saint Petersburg?
Going to Saint Petersburg for the UEFA Champions League Finals, we recommend to choose an accommodation near a metro station with direct access to the stadium.
Near Nevsky Prospekt / Gostiny Dvor. The most central, after the match, you can party in Dumsakaya street or Rubinstein street. For example, the Belmond is a really great place to stay. The M-Hotel is a good choice on the cheap side.
Near Mayakovskaya. Also a great area, not far away from Rubinstein Street
Vasileostrovskaya and Primorskaya. Both metro stations are located on the Vasilievsky Island. They are closer to stadium, but you will need to take the metro either way. On this island, you will find cheaper accommodation but there are less restaurant, less bars. If you just want to see the match a sleep after, it is a good choice.
North of the stadium, you will be far away from the city center, and from the airport, so we don’t usually recommend it for a first stay in Saint Petersburg.
